Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T15:23:51.436Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of winter feeding level on subsequent grazing behaviour and herbage intake of Charolais heifers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. Ferrer Cazcarra  and
M. Petit
R. Ferrer Cazcarra
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Adaptation des Herbivores aux Milieux, INRA de Theix-Clermont-Ferrand, 63122 Sf Genés Champanelle, France
M. Petit
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Adaptation des Herbivores aux Milieux, INRA de Theix-Clermont-Ferrand, 63122 Sf Genés Champanelle, France
Get access

Abstract

Two groups of eight Charolais heifers were used to examine the effect of feeding level during the post-weaning winter on the grazing behaviour and herbage intake over three periods during the first 2 months of grazing. The winter diets (L and H) were given to achieve a mean difference of 50 kg between groups at turn-out. The heifers were set-stocked together on a hill pasture where sward height was maintained at 12 cm.

The winter live-weight gains were 0·31 and 0·70 (s.e. 0·032) kg/day for L and H heifers respectively, and spring gains 1·94 and 1·66 (s.e. 0·082) kg/day respectively. Intakes increased throughout the spring grazing for both groups. Absolute intakes were lower for L than for H heifers only during the first period (P < 0·05). Intake per kg live weight was higher in L than in H heifers (23·0 v. 21·1 (s.e. 0·54) g organic matter (OM) per kg live weight). Bite weights of H heifers were constant throughout (434, (s.e. 12·9) mg OM), while bite weights ofL heifers only reached those of H heifers in the last period. Bite weight was linearly related to live weight. Bite rates were not different between groups, but L heifers compensated for lower bite weight by grazing longer and they increased their grazing time after turn-out faster than H heifers. Grazing time was mainly responsible for higher relative intakes in L heifers, and thus, partly, for compensatory gain observed.

Keywords

compensatory gaingrazing behaviourheifersintake
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 61 , Issue 2 , October 1995 , pp. 211 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Association Franchise de Normalisation. 1981. Cellulose brute, Methode CCE 4 erne Directive Norme NFV 03–040. In Aliments des Animaux, Methodes d'Analyse. Ed. AFNOR.Google Scholar
Allden, W. G. and Whittaker, I. A. M. 1970. The determinants of herbage intake by grazing sheep: the interrelationship of factors influencing herbage intake and availability. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 21: 755–766.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold, G. W. 1981. Grazing behaviour. In Grazing animals (ed. Morley, F. H. W.) World Animal Science Bl, pp. 79–104. Elsevier Scientific, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Aufrère, J. and Michalet-Doreau, B. 1988. Comparison of methods for predicting digestibility of feeds. Animal Feed, Science and Technology 20: 203–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, R. D., Young, N. E. and Laws, J. A. 1992. The effect of diet in winter on the body composition of young steers and subsequent performance during the grazing season. Animal Production 54: 211–219.Google Scholar
Cohen, R. D. H. 1979. Factors influencing the estimation of the nutritive value of the diet selected by cattle fistulated at the oesophagus. journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 93: 607–618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Comeron, E. A. 1991. Estimation des quantites ingerees par des vaches laitieres au paturage: influence des caracteristiques de animaux et de la quantite et structure de l'herbe oferte. Ph.D. thesis, University of Rennes, France.Google Scholar
Erlinger, L. L., Tolleson, D. R. and Brown, C. J. 1990. Comparison of bite size, biting rate and grazing time of beef heifers from herds distinguished by mature size and rate of maturity. Journal of Animal Science 68: 3578–3587.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferrer Cazcarra, R. and Petit, M. 1995. The influence of animal age and sward height on the herbage intake and grazing behaviour of Charolais cattle. Animal Science In press.Google Scholar
Forbes, J. M. 1986. The voluntary food intake of farm animals. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Gordon, I. J. and Illius, A. W. 1994. Diet selection and behaviour in grazing ruminants: in search of optimality? Proceedings of the forty-fifth annual meeting of the European Association of Animal Production, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Greenwood, G. B. and Demment, M. W. 1988. The effect of fasting on short-term cattle grazing behaviour. Grass and Forage Science 43: 377–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodgson, J. 1985. The control of herbage intake in the grazing ruminant. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 44: 339–346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hodgson, J. and Jamieson, W. S. 1981. Variations in herbage mass and digestibility, and the grazing behaviour and herbage intake of adult cattle and weaned calves. Grass and Forage Science 36: 39–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Illius, A. W. 1989. Allometry of food intake and grazing behaviour with body size in cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 113: 259–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Illius, A. W. and Gordon, I. J. 1987. The allometry of food intake in grazing ruminants. Journal of Animal Ecology 56: 989–999.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. 1989. Ruminant Nutrition. Recommended allowances and feed tables (ed. Jarrige, R.). INRA and John Libbey Eurotext.Google Scholar
Mayes, R. W., Lamb, C. S. and Colgrove, P. M. 1986. The use of dosed and herbage n-alkanes as markers for the determination of herbage intake. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 107: 161–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, J. A., Penning, P. D., Parsons, A. J., Harvey, A. and Orr, R. J. 1994. Fasting affects intake behaviour and diet preference of grazing sheep. Animal Behaviour 47: 185–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Donovan, P. B. 1984. Compensatory gain in cattle and sheep. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series B, 54: 389–410.Google Scholar
Ryan, W. J. 1990. Compensatory growth in cattle and sheep. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series B 60: 653–664.Google Scholar
Sibbald, A. M. and Kerr, W. G. 1994. The effect of body condition and previous nutrition on the herbage intakes of ewes grazing autumn pastures at two sward heights. Animal Production 58: 231–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1988. SAS/STAT user's guide, release 6·03 edition, pp. 549–640. Statistical Analysis Systems Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Vulich, S. A. and Hanrahan, J. P. 1990. Determination of herbage and faecal n-alkane concentrations: sources of sampling variation. Proceedings of the seventh European grazing workshop, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A. and Russel, A. J. F. 1991. Changes in the body composition of beef cattle during compensatory growth. Animal Production 52: 105–113.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A., Russel, A. J. F. and Hunter, E. A. 1989. Compensatory growth in cattle grazing different vegetation types. Animal Production 48: 43–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar